Soccer transfer fees are skyrocketing

Manchester United covets Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas to the tune of nearly $60 million, according to some reports.

Manchester United covets Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas to the tune of nearly $60 million, according to some reports.

Photo: Lluis Gene, AFP/Getty Images

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(FILES) - A picture dated June 22, 2013 shows Spain's midfielder Cesc Fabregas controling the ball during a training session at the Castelao stadium in Fortaleza, on the eve of their FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 football match against Nigeria. Manchester United have made a £25 million ($37.7 million, 28.9-million-euros) offer for Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, reports in the British media suggested on July 15, 2013. AFP PHOTO/Eitan AbramovichEITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images less

(FILES) - A picture dated June 22, 2013 shows Spain's midfielder Cesc Fabregas controling the ball during a training session at the Castelao stadium in Fortaleza, on the eve of their FIFA Confederations Cup ... more

Photo: Eitan Abramovich, AFP/Getty Images

Soccer transfer fees are skyrocketing

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Picasso's painting of his lover fetched $44 million at auction earlier this year. Soccer players sell for more.

Manchester United pursues Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas for $60 million. His art is creative midfield vision. United's rival, Arsenal, raises the card and offers the same amount for Liverpool's Luis Suarez. Paint him with splatters of viciousness - last season Suarez bit an opponent during play. He's valued for producing soccer's most precious rarity: a goal.

Scarcity drives demand. A player who scores 20 goals a season will find his name in the catalog for gilded buyers, and the bidding begins. The accounting firm Deloitte, in its annual report on the state of soccer's finances, revealed that 83 percent of revenue growth for clubs in England's Premier League is spent on wages. The payroll is out of control.

Are soccer's playmakers worth it? Manchester United reportedly transfers close to $400,000 a week to striker Wayne Rooney's checking account. His tastes are expensive and his generosity reported - in 2010, the press wrote of him tipping a hotel bellman $300 to buy him a pack of smokes after a long night of sauciness.

Notwithstanding the desire for self-destruction among great artists, other factors can spoil the buyer's investment. The malice of the reckless tackle can end a career; a national team call-up during the regular season increases the risk of injury. Clubs loathe letting their stars play in games where the only return is a wave of national pride.

Unlike the monetary appreciation of art's old masters, soccer players lose value after age 30. Their careers can end under the bang of less celebrated auction hammers. They drift off to lower league teams to end their playing days, the glorious colors fading. Some end up going mad on the way to being forgotten.

Gold Cup Final: The U.S. meets Panama in the Gold Cup final on Sunday in Chicago. The Americans are rolling in goals. Count them at 19 so far in the tournament. U.S. confidence is high.

Panama is playing excellent football, disposing of Mexico in the semis. Mexicans are wringing their hands. El Tri is on the skids. Disappointment reigns. Besides the Gold Cup failure, Mexico's World Cup qualifying campaign is parched with lackluster results. Could the unthinkable happen? Mexico fails to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil next year?

Earthquakes striker Chris Wondolowski has a shot at winning the competition's Golden Boot. The Danville native has five goals, tied with Landon Donovan and Panama's Manuel Torres. Remember the extra "W" that caused Wondo's name to be misspelled on his jersey earlier in the tourney? Turned out to be lucky. He scored a hat trick. Rest the case for Wondo to be promoted to the World Cup squad - he knows the art of scoring.

Quakes look to fell Timbers: The last time San Jose played the Timbers in Portland, things got twisted. Quakes striker Alan Gordon saw red. Some of the on-field antics would have shocked grandma. Quakes fans returned from that game with a bad taste in their mouths. The Quakes host Portland on Saturday night in Santa Clara.

Portland is up. New coach Caleb Porter is the transformer. Last season, Portland was an also-ran; this year they lead. Last year, San Jose was leader; now it chases. The Quakes need a stretch of wins to make the playoffs.

Home field plays to the Quakes' strengths. The 1906 Ultras power up like magnets behind the goalposts at the northern end of Buck Shaw stadium. Quakes goals usually end up in that net. The atmosphere will be electric. Get out and watch some live football.

TV pick

Who: U.S. vs. Panama

What: CONCACAF Gold Cup final

Where: Chicago

When: 1 p.m. Sunday

TV: Channel: 2 Channel: 14 Channel: 40

Alan Black is an author and journalist. Read his blog at blog.sfgate.com/soccer.